Topic: Sci FI Poll 26: Insurrecting my Nemisis.

[knightstorm]

If the Remans were the slave race that was building the Romulan ships, they would have already had sufficient education to build a powerful warship.  During the war, they would have had the resources to scout out  a location, as well as sources of supplies to build the Scimitar..  As for Picard not being important enough to replace, he was one of the Federation's most prestigious and someone likely to ascend to a key position in the Starfleet hierarchy in the near future.  He became captain of the Federation's flagship, and was offered a promotion to the admiralty in season 1.  Regarding critical information, the Romulans were shown to have the technology to rip information from someone's mind.

The knowledge to build and the knowledge to design and make tech breakthroughs are not the same.  A "Rosie the Rivetter" might build large sections of ship without being able to design those parts.  Even a machinist who makes others designs may well be limited in creating their own original designs let alone making scientific breakthroughs. 

Who the heck lets slave fly around in their own starships to find locations for shipyards?  Who lets them control unrestricted resources (antimatter for one thing). 

Even with the "raw" knowledge of Picard it doesn't give the ability to imitate him in detail.  Phrasing, timing vocal tones and body language are all difficult to handle. You also still have the resident empath and Geordi whose vision would reveal differences in the clone from the original.

You only get offered promotions so often before being passed over.  Picard has refused often enough.  Even with all that he was still refused permission to fight the Borg at Wolf359 (not trusted enough remember).

If Remans are serving as the crews of these ships, they have to have a good understanding of how they operate.  Ignoring the fact that Romulan ships don't rely on matter/anti-matter reactors, I can think of any number of ways for them to get supplies ranging from embezzlment, buying black market supplies, to capturing Dominion weapons and equipment.
Based on Shinzon's age, he was created before Picard took command of the Enterprise, but probably at the point where he was at the top of a short list of candidates for command.  He wouldn't have had to deal with a crew noticing him behaving differently because there would not have been a crew yet.

[Lieutenant_Q]

I have to wonder just how much time passed between the loss of the Stargazer and his getting command of the Enterprise.  1 Year?  2 Years?

[knightstorm]

8 years.  The Stargazer was lost in 2355, the Enterprise was commissioned in 2363.

[Lieutenant_Q]

So Shinzon was created about 1 to 2 years after the loss of the Stargazer.  Picard was probably at Starfleet Command doing some desk job while he waited for them to find him another ship.  Good chance that he was the senior Captain at Starfleet Headquarters, not seasoned enough to be promoted to Admiral (or unwilling to accept the promotion), but too seasoned to give him a frigate.  Starfleet could have given him an Ambassador, but they probably saw him as a better choice to break in a Galaxy Class.

[TAnimaL]

That math works for Shinzon's youngest age, making him about 22 in Nemesis. A bit young, esp. since he served with distinction in the Dominion War, so he was probably created earlier. Picard was already considered "a legendary Captain" during his years on the Stargazer. The TNG novel "Death In Winter" hypothesized that the Romulans were cloning many Starfleet Captains, and got Picard's DNA at the Crusher's wedding in 2348.

I always wondered about those lost years of Picard's, just like the missing ones between TOS movies 5 & 6 (5 years). No one's written much about those time periods.

[Dash Jones]

If the Remans were the slave race that was building the Romulan ships, they would have already had sufficient education to build a powerful warship.  During the war, they would have had the resources to scout out  a location, as well as sources of supplies to build the Scimitar..  As for Picard not being important enough to replace, he was one of the Federation's most prestigious and someone likely to ascend to a key position in the Starfleet hierarchy in the near future.  He became captain of the Federation's flagship, and was offered a promotion to the admiralty in season 1.  Regarding critical information, the Romulans were shown to have the technology to rip information from someone's mind.

The knowledge to build and the knowledge to design and make tech breakthroughs are not the same.  A "Rosie the Rivetter" might build large sections of ship without being able to design those parts.  Even a machinist who makes others designs may well be limited in creating their own original designs let alone making scientific breakthroughs. 

Who the heck lets slave fly around in their own starships to find locations for shipyards?  Who lets them control unrestricted resources (antimatter for one thing). 

Even with the "raw" knowledge of Picard it doesn't give the ability to imitate him in detail.  Phrasing, timing vocal tones and body language are all difficult to handle. You also still have the resident empath and Geordi whose vision would reveal differences in the clone from the original.

You only get offered promotions so often before being passed over.  Picard has refused often enough.  Even with all that he was still refused permission to fight the Borg at Wolf359 (not trusted enough remember).

Well,

An Egyptian slave owned by military or rulers actually had MORE power and ability than a normal citizen.  The Mamluks were death itself to those they fought...and those who were high ranking or served as the slave of the Pharoah were like Pharoah speaking himself.  You disobey and they had the right same as Pharoah to do as they wanted.

The Turks had a similar system with the Jannisaries.  The Jannisaries were so favored under the Turks that people many times had their children go to become Jannisaries.

Other examples exist of those who were actually more powerful than those around them, but were the slave caste.

Even in the Bible (if you accept it as true) has Joseph as a slave in Egypt...and as you can see, even at the end as a slave, he was the most powerful man besides Pharoah himself.